The perception of sunni sufis on hz. ali and ahl al-bayt: eshrefoghlu rumi’s sample

In all of the orders which are the institutions of Sufism the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt are shown love and respect. In addition, the love of the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt seen in the works of the Sunni Sufis has caused them to be perceived as Alawi-Bektashi from time to time. One of the most important of these Sufis is Eshrefoghlu Rumi, the founder of the Eşrafiyye branch of Kadiriyye order. Eşrefoğlu, who frequently mentioned the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt, particularly in his book Tarikatname, has been described as Alawi-Bektashi due to his expressions by some. This article was written to put forth Sunni Sufis’ and especially Eshrefoghlu Rumi’s perception of the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt and to evaluate their being regarded as Alawi-Bektashi due to his views. For this purpose, first the understanding of the Sunni Sufis regarding the Hazrat Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt was addressed, and then comparisons were made by mentioning perceptions of Eshrefoghlu Rumi in question. In particular, the place of the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt in the understanding of Sunni Sufism was identified. As a result, it was observed that both Sunni Sufis’ and Eşrefoğlu Rumi’s perception of the Hazrat Ali and Ahl al-Bayt developed in Sunni Sufi culture and the love of the Hazrat Ali and Ahl-al Bayt was very intense particularly in the followers of the orders connected to the Prophet Muhammad through the Hazrat Ali’s descendants. One of the findings of the research was that this perception of the Sunni Sufis and Alawi-Bektashi and Shia communities showed similarities from time to time.